Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis is struggling to gain momentum in his tanking campaign ahead of the 2024 presidential primaries.
During an interview on FNC’s “You World,” host Neil Cavuto asked DeSantis whether he would drop out of the race since his rival, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, is surging in poll numbers.
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“Nikki Haley has emerged as a strong polling favorite. She’s tied with you in Iowa, and that has come really following her very tough talk of not only supporting Israel and Ukraine but backing them both up with the money they need and not debating the issue,” Cavuto said.
“Now, do you fear you’re kind of threading the needle on this is hurting you, that she’s clear, you’re not, she’s gaining, you’re not? She’s seen as an acceptable number two to Donald Trump. You’re not,” he continued.
The Florida governor responded, “Well, actually, I’ve been much clearer on Israel. I mean, I said from the beginning, no Gaza refugees. You know, she said that America has been able to separate terrorists from freedom fighters. And that’s what we have to do now. She backtracked on that. But I’ve been very clear, no refugees.”
Cavuto went on to point out that DeSantis is merely seen as an “alternative” to former President Donald Trump, who is currently the frontrunner in the race. He then asked the presidential hopeful if he would step out of this race should he fail to emerge in the polls.
“I am definitely going to be in the top so we’re ready for that. We’re going to the distance. People can make whatever decisions that they want. I respect the vice president’s decision. I think he’s a good man. I think he’s served the conservative cause very well over a number of years. You know, I’m in it all the way so you’re going to be seeing a lot of me,” DeSantis said.
This comes as a recent survey from The Economist and YouGov shows that 51 percent are still in favor of Trump, while DeSantis comes in second with only 14 percent.
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy comes in a distant third with five percent. Haley comes in fourth with four percent, followed by former Vice President Mike Pence with three percent, former New Jersey Gov. Christie with two percent, and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott with two percent.
